


Dazzled

by bulfinch



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-26
Updated: 2013-08-26
Packaged: 2017-12-24 18:34:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulfinch/pseuds/bulfinch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is oblivious to his own beauty. Arthur endeavours to fix this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dazzled

Arthur had been blinded all those years ago. Dazzled by the way Merlin seemed to outshine the sun that had bathed the castle in its brilliance. He should have known Merlin was magic. But, Arthur supposed, he had been too stubborn, too terrified, to admit in that moment that what he felt was Destiny. 

But Merlin was beautiful, there could be no doubt about that. Had Arthur been a more whimsical man, he might have thought that his first, fateful sighting of Merlin had been a vision, a wondrous mirage. He might have turned away, content to dream and despair and long. Pining for a moment with a few _if onlys_ on his tongue, a shrug on his shoulders, a fleeting wistfulness in his eye. He would have been content to lock the sight away in his memory for some distant rainy day, to turn away and let the dream slip with a sigh out of his conscious mind. 

But then, of course, Merlin spoke. The Mirage was broken. The dream had shattered and coagulated into reality. An altogether bothersome, tricky reality that made his brain itch and his back tense. 

Thank the gods Merlin spoke.   
  


 

Because years passed. Years wherein Arthur learned that that itch was called love and the only way to scratch it was to feed it. He learned that the tense ache in his neck, his shoulders, his spine, could only be soothed by the one that caused it. Years wherein Arthur learned to understand Destiny, and finally, happily, gave in to it.   
  


 

But Merlin seemed oblivious to his own gorgeousity. Blissfully unaware, simply never stopping to consider the effect of his appearance on others (and wasn’t that just like him, Arthur would think with fond annoyance). Merlin was comfortable in his own skin and that was good enough for him. 

But it was not good enough for Arthur. Arthur, who let his praise fall in murmurs and moans and mutters when their limbs were twined around each other in the flickering light of candles that stuttered like Arthur’s poor heart when Merlin’s eyes glowed gold.

It was not fair, to Arthur’s mind, not right that Merlin could leave him suddenly gasping for breath when the sun lit him from behind. Or when the moon bathed Merlin in it’s glow, light sliding over him in a way that made Arthur’s fingers itch with envy. Or when Merlin smiled, so much brighter than the silly little sun or moon.    

And so Arthur began to chant it, “beautiful”, “ _perfect_ ”, like a prayer, whispering words into Merlin’s gorgeous ears (the ones that made his knees buckle and his stomach do cartwheels when they were painted by a blush). Hoping that one day the stubborn, _beautiful_ idiot would finally listen.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was written in a response to a couple things that I see popping up time and again in the Merthur fandom. Firstly there is the issue of Merlin often being insecure about his body. While I have nothing against this trope necessarily, in my head things go differently and I thought that maybe there wasn't enough of Merlin simply being comfortable with his own body. Not cocky but not insecure either. (Though, of course, we all know he is far more than just "adequate" to Arthur.)
> 
> Secondly STOP picking on the ears! I love the ears! They are adorable! 
> 
> Anyway, those are my two cents. I hope you enjoyed! :)


End file.
